The Spider's Web
by Jen717
Summary: COMPLETE: For once, guns are not involved in the first contact of an alien race. But all is not as it seems. The Enterprise finds herself caught in a spider's web... literally.
1. The Store

**_Disclaimer_: I don't own any Starfleet characters. Except maybe one or two crewmen that I may create as the story goes. I do own the Salindais, however, and the planet Salinda.**

**_Note: _Work in progress. Don't expect updates to be quick.**

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Tucking the translator under her arm, Hoshi picked up the alien choker by its soft black chord and looked at the symbol that twirled slowly in the air. It reminded her of an old Chinese yin-yang, though the alien symbol was different. It was a circle that was split into three curved parts instead of two. The piece was one colour, violet, but the sections on it were different shades. One was pale, like lavender, another deep and dark. The last was a mixture of both. Not dark, not light, and pleasing to the eye.

"It's the symbol of the Salindais." Said a voice behind the table. Hoshi turned her gaze away to look at the store owner. She was shorter than the average human, and with skin as black as a moonless midnight. Shoulder length chocolate hair dangled smoothly in intricately shaped braids. Pale green eyes peeked curiously out at the Ensign. A tattoo that was the same colour as her eyes ran around her neck in a dance of alien script and florals. "It means one thing, but different people interpret it differently." She stretched out a thick arm with four short fingers to point out the different parts on the necklace. "The bright part is Good. It represents people, emotions, actions, events, and dates that helped build the good in our race. The dark part is Evil. It represents the same things, the only difference being they are what helped build the bad in the Salindais. The last part, of medium hue, shows that the Salindais need a mixture of both good and bad to show us a clear view of life. You can't learn anything about life if you never make bad mistakes." The store owner flashed Hoshi a grin, and she grinned back.

These people never stopped surprising her, from the moment they made contact. She, Archer and T'pol were on Salinda at the moment, and they had wandered off in different directions to learn about their culture. Hoshi had found this shop, who's strict rules clearly dictated that this was a store for alien visitors only, so that they would have souvenirs and other things to remember the Salindais by.

Hoshi nodded slightly. "My people used to have a similar symbol, with only two sections. Good and evil, Yin and Yang." Hoshi placed the choker back on the wooden table, and the alien's grin shrank for a moment.

Something caught Hoshi's eye, a plump, circular object, like a small container. It had the same Salinda symbol on the top, though the sections were in black and white and grey. There was only one of these little objects, whereas there were quite a few chokers. Waving that fact away, Hoshi picked up the object, feeling for something along the side to open it up. Again, the woman reached out a hand, pressed two little buttons, and the object split along the length of the curved side in two places. The container – if it was a container – opened up until the top and bottom had stretched back to face downward, and the remaining middle part stood straight. Decorated with a fine line of script, the dark wood shone under the sunlight that poured in the store windows. Suddenly, a green projection of light burst out of each new section of the device, shooting a meter upwards, and merging in a 3D ring of light. Moving script, and text. Alien text. Captain Archer had described something similar in his report about the Vulcan Kir'Shara.

"It is a device which allows alien visitors to learn our language. On one side, you use the little control panel to tell it your mother tongue, and it will help you translate your language to ours and our language to yours."

Hoshi grinned to herself. Normally, she would rather learn languages the hard way, but she didn't want to pass up the opportunity to make a connection with an alien and gain a quick way to learn a language. Because she didn't _always _have to learn the hard way, right?

Pushing the two ends back together, and ending the projection of light, Hoshi smiled at the store owner. "How much do you want for it?"

The store owner smiled happily for a moment, but then hesitated in reconsideration. "Honey, you can have it free. You deserve it."

Hoshi nodded. "Thank you! I wish I had something to give you back in return."

The store owner shook her head. "You enjoy it. Now go and travel the globe. See places, meet people, enjoy yourself." She gave Hoshi a friendly push on the arm.

"All right. Thank you again!" Hoshi said as she turned and left the store.

- - -

Retula, the store owner, whispered words of thanks as the alien woman left her store. Nothing personal against her, or her species, but what she had bought. The translator had been forced upon her by some men from the Adili, which was a sort of Salindais military that patrolled the system, protecting the system. The Salindais were a peaceful species, and they had been taken advantage of by other species. The Adili had saved the Salindais from many attacks, rescued the lives of countless, picked up the world when war struck it down. They were heroes.

Retula paced from behind the table, keeping her eyes on the other customers in the store. A Vulcan skimming a book about Salinda. A Klingon inspecting an antique weapon.

She didn't know why they had forced her to sell the translator. The Adili never forced people to do anything so… random. It's just a translator. And a very nice one, at that. Though she didn't want to keep something that the Adili were so eager to get rid of. She also didn't want to spend all her time thinking on it. What's done is done, she'd just have to live with what happens, and learn from her mistakes. That is, if it was more than just a translator.

Retula chuckled under her breath. She was being a fool. It was just a translator, nothing more. As the Klingon approached her table to buy the antique dagger, she cleared the translator from her head and moved on with the day.

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Well, that's chapter one! Can I have some reviews for Christmas? :-P


	2. The Spider

**_Disclaimer: _Still don't own any Starfleet characters (they belong to ****Paramount****), but all Adili and Salindais characters are mine. Some people that you may not remember are included in this story. Novakovich, Cunningham, Hutchinson, Baird, and Tanner do not belong to me. Nor do I own the Akaali. Remember them from Season 1, "Civilization"? Yep, those are the Akaali. Chef does not belong to me, either, but since he has absolutely no character development, his personality and appearance is my own creation.**

**_Note: _'MSS' stands for 'Military Salindais Ship'. Also, I think now would be a good time to tell y'all how to pronounce some of these names.**

**_Salinda: _****Sa-linda**

**_Salindais: _****Sa-lin-day**

**_Retula: _Reh-toul-ah**

**_Geido: _Geye-doe**

**_Bynaul: _Bih-nall**

**_Satyle: _Sa-teal**

**_Adili: _Ah-deal-ee**

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Colonel Geido looked up as the port door that separated the two ships opened, revealing a golden haired human with sky blue eyes with a dark haired, stiff-backed man. The golden haired-man held out his hand with a small smile. His eyes darted about the Colonel, as all alien species do upon first contact, stopping a moment on the tattoo of script and fanciful flames that ran around his neck, matching his eye colour of a light red.

"I'm Commander Charles Tucker, and this is Lieutenant Reed, tactical officer." He said, pointing the other man out to him. They shook hands as well; their opposite coloured skins were a contrast.

"As you know, I'm Colonel Geido of the MSS Satyle, and this is Counsellor Bynaul." He gestured to his son, a slim young man who was in his late teenage years. Dark red hair was a tangle of flames on his scalp.

"Shall we?" Tucker said, gesturing with his hand down the corridor. Geido nodded and the four headed off towards the Captain's ready-room. "So, tell us more about your people." Tucker said with a curious smile.

"Of course, Commander. We, the Adili, are a military sector of Salinda. We patrol the system and protect Salinda from dangerous species, war, danger, crime, or anything else that threatens our people. We are a peaceful people, and sometimes learning from our mistakes doesn't help anyone. So, the Adili were created for the reasons stated." Geido explained.

"What does the word 'Adili' mean?" Lieutenant Reed asked.

"The basic translation is 'spider', but among the different tongues of the Salindais, it can translate as 'snow spider' or 'eight-legged'." Bynaul put in.

"So that's why your ship is shaped like a spider." Tucker concluded.

Geido chuckled. "Yes, it was a clever idea to shape our ships that way." He paused for a moment, contemplating the fact.

"So, why were the Salindais getting attacked?" Lieutenant Reed questioned.

"Alien species took advantage of our hospitality. They would steal from us, kidnap, even murder people sometimes. We had to put an end to it." He shook his head regretfully. "Enough of this gloomy talk", he added, just as they entered the bridge. A young, dark-skinned man turned around in the Captain's chair to face them.

"Colonel Geido, Counsellor Bynaul; Ensign Mayweather, our helmsman." Tucker said, introducing them.

"Pleasure." Mayweather said, smiling.

"Likewise." Geido replied with a small dip of his head. Bynaul gave the young Ensign a friendly smile, which was returned.

"This way." Tucker said, going into a small room off to the side of the bridge. The other three men followed.

"Counsellor," Geido said to his son, in a tone that told him all he needed to know.

Lieutenant Reed caught on, and hesitated only a moment before saying "Permission to return to my post, Commander." Tucker nodded, and he and the Colonel disappeared into the tiny room.

- - -

Tucker sat down on the chair behind a metal desk, casting a quick glance at the stars out the window. Geido sat down on the chair his side of the desk.

"Enough questions for me." Geido said before Tucker had the chance to open his mouth. "I must ask you some."

"Of course." Tucker said in agreement.

"I ask again, what is your business in this system?" Geido had asked the same thing when they had detected the Earth ship heading for the Salinda system.

"We're explorers. Our mission is to make contact with alien species, see what other races we share the galaxy with. I assure you, we are not a threat." Even with Tucker's assurance, Geido didn't seem 100 assured by his accented words.

"What was the first alien race your people made contact with, and when?" Tucker seemed, for a moment, confused by the question.

"The Vulcans made first contact with us in 2063, after the first warp flight into space. Why do you ask?"

"First contact can greatly affect the way a race views the rest of the galaxy. If you had made first contact with Klingons, for example, you would probably be wandering around with weapons armed and ready all the time." Geido explained.

Tucker chuckled. "That is probably true."

At that moment, the door chime suddenly chirped.

"Come in." Tucker called, and to his surprise, Chef stepped inside, fully dressed in his cooking clothes and apron. "Chef?" He said in disbelief.

Chef paused a moment, glancing at the black-skinned alien and giving him a nervous smile. He turned to Tucker, and his smile was filled with confidence and determination. "Oh, not to worry, Crewman Cunningham has taken my place in the Mess Hall for a moment. Erm, I have a request, Commander." He said, smoothing his apron down in a fit of nervousness.

"What do you need?" The look on Tucker's face switched from shock to amusement.

"I would like permission to go down to Salinda." He blurted.

"Why?" Geido demanded before Chef could finish.

Chef glanced at him, his eyes a definition of tense. He looked back at Commander Tucker before answering. "I would like to try some alien cuisine, for once. Every time we make first contact, it's always about diplomacy and 'are these aliens hostile?' and 'can I understand your language?'." He said, speaking the quotes in a semi-mocking voice. "I never get the chance to explore alien food!"

Geido smiled and chuckled at Chef's situation. Tucker shared his smile.

"Of course, Chef. The Captain's party comes back in an hour. Another party will be going down three hours after that. You're welcome to go along." Tucker was most definitely amused.

Chef's round face brightened and his eyes seemed to glow. His hands stopped smoothing down his apron. "Thank you! Sir. I couldn't be more grateful!" Patting Geido on the shoulder, the jolly man wandered out onto the bridge.

There was a short pause before either of them spoke. Finally, Geido spoke up. "Your landing parties are interestingly spaced."

Grin barely fading, Tucker answered "It gives us time to review what we learn from the first landing party. This means that the second landing party will have an idea of Salinda custom, which will make it easier to learn more."

Geido nodded suspiciously. "What do you hope for the future of exploration?"

Tucker had to think about this one before answering. "I hope that Earth will make some valuable friends and allies, and that we are more aware of how the galaxy works."

"You are a true explorer, Commander." Geido complimented.

- - -

Malcolm relieved Ensign Tanner from tactical and sat down. He kept a suspicious eye on the alien counsellor as he looked at the people manning the bridge, who returned his stare. Travis got up from the Captain's chair and relieved Ensign Hutchinson as he took his place at the Helm.

"Nice tattoo." Crewman Novakovich said, who was manning the science station.

Counsellor Bynaul looked down at the tattoo on his neck. It was a large, fancy ring of Salindais script and what appeared to be fire. It matched the colour of his eyes perfectly: a soft, pale yellow. Bynaul's white pupils dilated slightly.

"Thank you." He answered. "The Salindais people get it after they complete Universal schooling. Males have script and flames, while females have script and flowers."

"Universal schooling?" Crewman Baird asked. He was filling in for Hoshi at Communications.

"After primary schooling, children have the choice of receiving secondary schooling or Universal schooling. In Universal schooling, children learn about the galaxy, alien species, how to work a ship, make good command choices, and so on. It's schooling for those who do not wish to remain on Salinda all their lives." Bynaul explained. "I haven't quite finished Universal schooling myself. I graduated, but I want to go back to learn more, as I don't want to remain my father's counsellor forever."

"Colonel Geido is your father?" Travis asked, and Bynaul nodded.

Malcolm found that hard to believe. Colonel Geido's hair was as brown as Travis's skin, with streaks of grey here and there. Bynaul's hair was a shock of deep red. Bynaul was also much slimmer than Geido, and taller. Bynaul could almost be father to Geido. Appearance-wise, anyway.

"And he made you his counsellor?" Novakovich asked in disbelief.

Malcolm sent him a look that told him not to get too carried away.

Bynaul smiled and leaned against the science station. "Lots of people think it strange that my father would pick me as his counsellor, but I'm fresh from Universal schooling. He thinks that young minds think clearest, and are not clouded by the affairs of adults. When I was younger, I always surprised him by giving a clear, obvious solution to his problems. Adults always make their problems more complex than they need to be." He let out a chuckle before adding "No offence." Travis chuckled, and Novakovich and Baird smiled.

Malcolm had no debate for that. Children with obvious answers were often more valuable then experienced adults when it came to decision making. Sometimes a child's innocence was just as powerful as an elder's wisdom. But bringing a teenage kid along to advise you when making first contact? He wasn't sure he was ready to try it.

At that moment, Chef came in through the turbolift, dressed fully in his cooking clothing, including his food-stained apron.

"Chef?" Malcolm asked disbelievingly.

Counsellor Bynaul turned at the sound of the lift door opening, and met Chef's curious eyes.

"Oh, my…." Chef said upon seeing the alien. "If you ever get hungry, sir, just stop by the Mess Hall and try some Earth foods."

Bynaul grinned at him. "Thank you for the offer. Maybe I will sometime."

Chef bobbed his head happily.

"What can I do for you, Chef?" Malcolm asked.

Chef smoothed his apron down, seemingly unaware of his doing so. "I wish to speak with Commander Tucker."

"Commander Tucker is speaking with Colonel Geido. Perhaps when he is finished, you can talk with him."

Chef did not look pleased. "I wish to speak with him immediately. Please. Sir." He wrung his hands together nervously.

Malcolm raised an eyebrow curiously. Bynaul, Travis, Novakovich and Baird watched them the same way Archer watched water polo.

"I wish to join the next landing party that goes down, Sir. I seek Commander Tucker's permission." Chef blurted slowly.

Malcolm grinned. This was probably the boldest thing Chef has ever done. Debating with himself for a moment, he finally nodded. "Commander Tucker is in the Captain's ready-room." He leaned back in his chair and watched as Chef pressed the door chime, then disappeared inside.

"What can a cook do on a first-contact away mission?" Baird asked.

"Perhaps he wishes to learn about Salinda foods?" Bynaul pointed out.

"That seems reasonable." Travis replied.

Bynaul seemed confused. "Has he never before explored alien cuisine?"

The officers and crewmen glanced at each other. "Not to my knowledge." Malcolm answered.

Bynaul gave a single shake of his head in disbelief. "Does your seamstress not get the chance to explore alien clothing?" He said rhetorically.

That wasn't entirely true, Malcolm knew. The quartermaster provided clothes when they made an undercover first contact. Hoshi looked charming in the clothes the quartermaster made for when the away team visited the Akaali people. Though he supposed making clothes when all you have is a few images and a Vulcan database for a guide wasn't quite as much fun as learning first hand by the alien who wears the actual clothes.

"Interesting point you make." He said finally. "I may pass it on to the Captain." He knew that he certainly would want to make alien contact to learn about the alien's viewpoint of his career. That is, if he were something other than tactical officer.

Glancing at his shipmates, he could see that they were all deep in thought, too. Except Travis seemed to have a negative expression on his face. Malcolm supposed that there wasn't much difference between the human way of piloting and an alien's way. Science and linguistics, on the other hand, were two important parts of alien contact. And weapons were, too… sometimes.

Bynaul nodded and looked as if he had won half a million bucks. He should, too, for meeting and affecting aliens so quickly.

"So, how long have you been Colonel Geido's counsellor?" Novakovich asked, ending the moment of silence.

"Two Salinda years, now. He hired me when I was 16 years old."

Baird whistled. Malcolm could see why. If he had a counsellor, he certainly wouldn't want him to have raging teenage hormones. "16!" He said doubtfully.

Bynaul gave him a confused look. "It may be odd from your point of view, but not mine. Salindais mature at a young age. There is most likely a difference between the ways our two cultures age." Malcolm nodded.

"If you already graduated from Universal schooling," Travis said thoughtfully, "wouldn't that mean that children start primary schooling when they're very young?"

"Children start primary schooling when they're two Salinda years old, and start secondary or Universal schooling when they're ten." The alien counsellor explained.

Malcolm could hardly believe it. Salindais children must mature incredibly fast.

Suddenly Chef hopped out of the ready room, a big grin painted on his face.

"Did you get permission?" Baird asked, mirroring the cook's grin.

"Oh, I got permission!" Chef was nearly bouncing off the walls. He pranced gleefully into the turbolift and disappeared.

Something on Travis's console began to beep. Pressing a few buttons, he figured out what was happening. "There's a ship on sensors… the shuttle is coming back."

"They're requesting permission to come aboard." Baird said as his console began to beep as well.

"Granted." Malcolm responded. "Open the launch bay doors when ready."

"Aye."

Counsellor Bynaul seemed to be enjoying watching the Humans run the ship. He looked at each man as events presented themselves, watched the screens at the stations from where he still leaned against the science station.

Malcolm pushed the comm. panel on the top corner of his station. "Bridge to Commander Tucker."

There was a slight pause. "Tucker here."

"The Captain's landing party is arriving."

"Acknowledged. Out." Tucker ended the conversation and soon came out of the ready room, followed by Colonel Geido.

"Counsellor, you're with us." Colonel Geido told his son. He nodded, and the three men disappeared into the turbolift.

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Here ends chapter two! Please review!


	3. Arrival

**_Disclaimer: _Still don't own any Starfleet characters. I don't think that's gonna change over the next dozen chapters, so I guess this'll be the last disclaimer I put in.**

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The wobbly metal stairs clanked beneath Hoshi's feet as she climbed up onto the second level of the shuttle bay. The return to Enterprise hadn't stopped Archer and T'pol from discussing non-stop what they learned of the Salindais; Hoshi could hear them still talking behind her.

"Their culture seems based on the fact that they learn from their mistakes, and that they need an equal balance of good and evil to live peacefully." T'pol explained.

"That makes sense." Archer commented. "You can't really learn anything if you don't do anything wrong." Archer bounced his head around, as he always did, as he talked.

Hoshi's grip tightened on the railing as she felt T'pol start to climb up behind her.

"That's what the woman in the store told me." Hoshi said.

At that moment Trip and two Salindais came into the shuttle bay. Hoshi reached the top of the deck and waited for T'pol and Archer to make it up.

Trip smiled at her. "How was the trip?"

"I enjoyed my time down there." She said, flashing Trip a small grin. She scooted over as T'pol and Archer joined her. Turning to Colonel Geido and his Counsellor, she said "You have a very interesting culture."

Colonel Geido smiled as if to say 'of course I do!' "Did you bring back any souvenirs?" He said half-jokingly

Hoshi nodded. "I bought a translation device at a souvenir shop." She rummaged through a small bag slung over her shoulder and pulled out a small, cylinder-shaped object with a three-sectioned circle carved onto the top. She noticed Counsellor Bynaul's white pupils dilate to fill most of his yellow irises, but she made nothing of it.

"That doesn't look like it can translate very much." The Captain said quizzically.

"Right now it doesn't." She said, pressing two nearly invisible buttons on the side.

The device split open into three sections. The top and bottom folded back to become a new bottom, and the middle section remained sticking straight up. Two projections of light shot up and merged, displaying Salindais text.

"Intriguing…." T'pol said as she watched.

Hoshi glanced at her, and barely stopped herself from raising an eyebrow. T'pol had been growing out her hair, and it was currently about an inch above her shoulders. She kept it tied back in a short, bristly ponytail. She had also started wearing a Starfleet uniform, too. Hoshi looked back at the green projection of text a meter above her head.

"Looks like you found a new toy." Trip said jokingly.

Hoshi snorted and closed the device. The green light faded like mist.

"We should get to deacon before Phlox starts chasing us around the ship." Archer said jokingly, and moved for the door.

"Deacon?" Colonel Geido asked, following Archer along with the rest of the group.

"Standard procedure. To make sure none of us have picked up any bugs while we were down there." Archer explained with a reassuring glance.

Tossing the translator back into her back, Hoshi said little as they hiked the short distance to Sickbay. She was deep in thought about her experiences on the planet.

As they entered Sickbay, the group discovered Cutler and Phlox with their heads together over a book. They were probably discussing poisonous insects, but Hoshi figured it was just raw flirting. She knew Cutler had a fling for Phlox. The couple looked up as they entered.

"Ah, I'm glad I didn't have to hustle you into deacon today, Captain!" Phlox said in his usual chipper voice. He left Cutler's side for a moment to prepare the deacon chamber. Cutler watched from where she leaned against a bio bed, holding the book open. Hoshi knew that this was the first time she had seen a Salindais.

Archer, T'pol and Hoshi peeled off their jumpsuits and hopped in the deacon chamber. They kept a comm. channel open and looked out the little window as they spoke to the Salindais.

"Chef asked permission to join the next landing party, Cap'n." Tucker told him. Archer responded with a chuckle. "I think he'd appreciate it if he'd get the chance to explore alien foods more often."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea. Any specialties he could try, Colonel?" Archer asked. He, T'pol and Hoshi were seated on the bench, soaking up the blue rays emitting from the walls. Counsellor Bynaul seemed fascinated to watch this alien experience.

"Actually, if he does ever decide to come aboard my vessel, I could ask the cook to prepare something special." Geido said matter-of-factly.

"I don't mean to get us off topic, Captain, but I was wondering how long you were planning to stay in the system." Counsellor Bynaul interrupted.

"We still haven't made contact with anybody on your moon, yet." Archer pointed out. "I estimate about another three or four days."

"Our moon?" Geido asked suddenly, not making room for Bynaul to reply. "Our moon is mostly a military base."

"Mostly." The Captain repeated.

Geido shot him a friendly glare. "The soldiers are almost always suspicious and unfriendly to alien visitors. They may not take kindly to your presence on the moon."

Bynaul cleared his throat loudly so that no one could interrupt. "The reason I asked is because I would like to spend the next three or four days here with you."

Geido turned to him, confusion written on his face. Tucker folded his arms in front of his chest, curious as to how father and son would deal with each other. "What? Why?" Geido asked, twisting his face.

"I am just as curious about these people as they are about us. I would like to spend more time around them, learn about them. If it's alright with you, father."

Hoshi nearly gasped. Archer barely flinched, Tucker seemed not to notice, and T'pol showed no emotion whatsoever. Hoshi found it strange that a father would make his young son his counsellor. It was just… odd. Alien customs were sometimes difficult to get used to.

After a moment of thought Colonel Geido nodded. "Just don't be getting yourself into trouble."

"Alright, people." Phlox said merrily. "You show no signs of harmful alien substances, so you're free to go!" He deactivated the chamber before Hoshi could raise a hoot of protest. At least she didn't have to use that slimy, sticky gel today.

The three climbed out of deacon and slipped back into their jumpsuits, hiding their reluctance. Hoshi picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "If you don't mind, Captain, I'd like to head back to my station."

Archer smiled in a fatherly manner. "Of course."

As Hoshi left, she noted Cutler was still in Sickbay with the book of insects, Phlox again at her side. She was looking up, into his eyes…. Hoshi chuckled to herself at the thought. She remembered, four years ago, asking Phlox if they were… mating.

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Abrupt end, sorry about that.

I also took a few paragraphs out so it might seem a bit odd at one point in there.

And there is going to be a pairing in the next chapter! Prepare yourselves! :-)


	4. An Odd Encounter

Hoshi turned on the water in her quarters and pulled a toothbrush out of a metallically silver cup. She started swishing it around against her teeth, trying to get them as white as possible. She had gotten off duty half an hour earlier, and had changed out of uniform. She wore a t-shirt and shorts that were shades of blue. A white cloth headband kept her hair out of her face. She was going to movie night tonight, with a date.

She and Travis weren't exactly a couple. They were just really close friends. As dubbed by the crew, they were officially an unofficial couple. They did almost everything together, though they hadn't done anything really… intimate yet. They hadn't even started holding hands. She didn't know what the Captain thought, or if he even knew that their friendship could become a relationship.

As Hoshi finished with her teeth, the door chime rang. She turned the water off and wiped her hands on the closest towel. As she moved to the door, she mentally noted that Travis was early. But Travis wasn't at the door.

"Counsellor Bynaul." Hoshi said in a semi-surprised voice. "I thought T'pol was giving you a tour of the ship."

"Oh, the tour finished about an hour ago. I, um, just thought I would stop by." Bynaul said uncertainly.

Hoshi raised an eyebrow. Why would he want to see her? Because she was a linguist? He seemed fine on his own. She couldn't see a translator on him anywhere, so he must've learned English somewhere before. Perhaps Vulcans or Klingons taught him.

"I wanted to take a look at the translator you bought. I was just, uh, curious as to how it works." He stammered when she didn't answer

"Can it wait? I'm about to leave for movie night. You're welcome to come, if you'd like." Suddenly Hoshi realised that the Counsellor was still standing there. She moved to the side of the door and gestured to her quarters with her hand. "Come in."

"Thank you." Bynaul said and followed Hoshi inside. "There." He said, spotting the translator on a shelf above her desk. It was placed beside a picture of her grandfather, Michio. "May I?"

Hoshi hesitated. What was this guy up to? Finally, she nodded slowly. She wished she was wearing something more covering, like her uniform or at least longer pants. Not that she was dressed like a slut, of course, but she just felt uncomfortable around the alien.

Bynaul took the translator off the shelf much like a child would pick up a kitten. He inspected it, turning it over and over in his hands, running a finger over the carving and the script that rounded the side. He started to smile. Hoshi was beginning to feel… awkward.

Bynaul noticed the uncomfortable look in her face. "I apologise. I had one when I was a boy, and haven't seen one since. I once wanted to be a linguist. When I was young."

That was it? He came just to revisit some childhood memories? Odd, but aliens were like that sometimes.

"One more thing, if I may?" He asked. Hoshi had no clue what he could have meant by that, but she gave him a go-ahead anyway.

"Of course."

He took out a small, slim tool from a loop on his belt, and flicked something on the side. White light shone out one end, and he held it up around the fine script that danced along the sides. The script began to glow dully.

"What are you doing?" She asked. Where was Travis?

"Oh, um, I always used to do this. It always helped me see the script better." He exclaimed. His voice was becoming more confident now.

"Did those come with the translators?" She asked, meaning the tool.

"Yes. No." Hastily, he turned off the probe tool and thrust it back in the belt loop. Shoving the translator back onto the shelf, he went on. "I should go now."

Hoshi nodded vigorously, relieved. She brushed past him and opened the door for him. Travis was there; his arm extended out to press the chime, a bowl full of popcorn cradled in his other arm. He was out of uniform as well. His eyes widened when he saw the counsellor, and the alien knew he was in trouble when he saw the shock in his face.

"I'll be going now!" He said, and pushed past Travis and stalked down the corridor. Travis watched him go a distance, then turned back to Hoshi. "What was that all about?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. He was inspecting my translator." Hoshi joined her date in the corridor and they went for the mess hall at a slow walk.

"Your translator?" Travis asked.

Hoshi stifled a gasp as she realised that could be taken two ways. She grinned at him. "I bought a translator down on Salindais today. It's no big deal."

"If you say so." He answered, returning her grin.

Hoshi seemed to notice the popcorn for the first time. "Hey, what's with the popcorn?" She asked, scooping up a handful.

"Oh, I helped set up the screen and thought I'd steal some for us tonight so that nobody would get it first. And Malcolm and I chucked a few kernels at each other, too, so I wanted to save some before they all ended up on the floor." Travis explained, his grin becoming mischievous.

"A food fight in the mess hall." She speculated.

"It was just a little one!" He said innocently.

Hoshi let out a laugh, and Travis returned it with a chuckle.

"So, how was your visit to Salindais? I hear Chef went down with you, Trip and Malcolm."

"Chef was there, alright." Travis said. "Anywhere food was, there he was, too. He cooked up some Earth delicacies, like Chinese food and stew. The Salindais had lots of fun with the spaghetti, I heard." He joked.

"Spaghetti? He didn't, did he?" She said disbelievingly. Her grin deepened to a smile as she absorbed what he told her.

"He did! The Salindais didn't know what to make of it! He had to tell them to curl it around on the forks, though most seemed more interested in inhaling it or dangling it like worms."

Hoshi laughed. Again. Travis always made her laugh. She was, for a moment, reminded of the time he had taken jello into deacon and said it was a life-form that she needed to communicate with.

"Did he try any Salindais foods?" Hoshi asked.

"Of course! The first thing he tried was something that resembled a mix between pizza and salad."

"Ugh!" She said disgustingly.

"And then there was something that looked like a Christmas tree, the way it was seasoned and decorated." He paused to watch her reaction. "But then of course he brought back a ton of fruits and vegetables that he'll be using to feed the crew."

"Let's just hope they're like normal fruits and veggies!"

The thought of alien bananas suddenly reminded Travis of something. "Have you noticed that Salindais have four stubby fingers? And their pupils are white!"

Hoshi nodded. "I like their tattoos. And their eye colours. It's always something soft and pale."

"I saw a guy with purple eyes while I was down there." Travis said. "And he had blue hair."

"Blue hair? And I thought the Counsellor's hair was bad!" She joked. She scooped up another handful of popcorn and tossed the kernels in her mouth a couple at a time.

They entered the mess hall then, and took a seat in the middle, where they continued their discussion about the Salindais.

- - -

Trip nudged Malcolm as Hoshi and Travis entered the mess hall. "You should've taken her while you had the chance."

"Hmm?" Malcolm asked, snacking on popcorn from a large glass bowl he held in his lap.

"Hoshi. You should've asked her out while you had the chance." There was a gleam of amusement in the Commander's eye.

"Why would I do that?" Malcolm asked, pretending not to know what he was talking about.

"It's obvious you like her." Trip lied, in hopes of getting Malcolm to see reason. "You need a woman in your life, Malcolm." Malcolm chuckled, but Trip went right on as if he hadn't heard. "Hoshi is perfect for you. I know you used to have a fling for T'pol, but she's married to Koss, so there's no hope for you there." He mentioned Koss with a hint of regret in his voice.

"What?" Malcolm asked. "How did you know?" He took a deep breath before continuing. "I did not have a fling for T'pol!" Try as he might to cover it up, it just wasn't working.

Trip chuckled.

"Do you find something amusing?"

"Just spare us all and ask her out, would ya? Offer to take her down to Salindais to watch the moon rise. There's gotta be countless stars you can see down there. Learn some constellations, stroll along the banks of a river, ride horseback along a beach…." He trailed off, leaving more items on the list to Malcolm's imagination.

He snorted.

"Hey," Trip said before Mal could interrupt. "I know you're by-the-book and all that, and know not to fraternize with crewmates, but T'pol and I did pretty good."

Malcolm gave him a sideways glance, as if his reply were obvious enough that Trip should know it. "That was before she joined Starfleet."

"Yeah, but, you know what I mean." Trip gave up on the pleasantries and shot Malcolm a glare.

The room darkened as the movie began to play. 'Battle in Outer Space'. An old Japanese movie.

Malcolm took the opportunity to glance at Hoshi a few rows ahead, relieved that nobody's eyes seem to have adjusted yet. The moment wasn't right. Not now, and probably not in a million years. Pity. He let the thought drift as the movie rolled on.

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So y'all can get an idea of what Hoshi looked like: http:www.voyager.cz/enterprise/epizody/images/058/058obr001.jpg


	5. The Conversation

**_Disclaimer: _Still none of the Starfleet characters are mine. Lieutenant Hess, ****Baird, Novakovich, Foster, Hutchinson and Porter **

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Counsellor Bynaul waited. Drumming his fingers on the silvery desk, he cast a suspicious look across his dimly lit guest quarters. He wasn't going to take any chances. He had to ask permission to speak with his father on a private channel. Lieutenant Reed didn't seem so fond of the idea, but Captain Archer gave him permission after a moment of thought.

Finally, Geido's face popped up on the screen in front of him. "Dad!" He said eagerly, speaking in his own tongue.

"How are you, son?" Geido asked.

"Never better. They gave me good guest-of-honour quarters, and the Vulcan took me on a tour of the ship, but none of that's as important as what I have to say." He blurted the words, rushing to get to the important topic.

Geido gave a quick nod, interrupting Bynaul before he could say what was on his mind. "Did Chef cook you some Salindais dishes?"

"Yes, father, he's a good cook. Will you listen to what I must say?" He mentally scolded himself and told himself to calm down. He took a deep breath and tried to relax in his chair.

"Speak."

"She has the key. The real one!" He said with a smile.

"How do you know?" He said, a shadow of doubt creeping upon his face.

"I took a look at it. The script glowed, unlike the two dummy ones we made." Bynaul wiped the smile off his face. This was not something to be giddy about. He needed to stay professional.

"How did you get close to it without suspicion?" His father was becoming alarmed. Bynaul wasn't keeping a good eye out for his mistakes. His father was easier to talk to when he was calm.

"I asked the Linguist if I could take a look at it. I told her I had one when I was a boy." Not a very good alibi, he knew. He could think of a million things better he could have said, now that he had gotten it over with.

Geido shook his head. "You _must _be more careful, son. Even if she does have the real one, I have no intention of taking it from her. We don't know how these Humans deal with criminals. We don't want to make enemies of them. That's why we're Adili, son!"

"Father," Bynaul said, not wanting to give up. "She has the key to the ultimate weapon of defense. If we use the weapon, we'd have no enemies!"

Geido shook his head. Angrily, now. "That's not the way it works."

"Am I your counsellor, or am I not? Hear me out." Bynaul said, giving his father a taste of his own interruptive medicine.

Geido ran right over his words, speaking louder. "Having a weapon like the one the Adili of centuries past have made will only bring us more enemies. People are threatened by a species with a weapon that can destroy a small moon! Retrieving the key will only prove to bring us more enemies."

"We can defeat them all with the weapon!" Bynaul nearly shouted.

"Didn't you hear a word I said? It doesn't work that way!" Geido returned his son's near shout. He sighed, and leaned back in the chair, eyeing Bynaul with his pale fiery eyes.

"Father, I wish to recover this weapon. Learn about it. Make use of it. Wise use. If I make mistakes, then I will learn from them. I would much prefer to have you at my side for guidance." He said, pronouncing every syllable clearly and slowly.

Geido looked down at his hands, folded in a black tangle of fingers on his desk. He studied them for a moment before saying quietly, "The risk is too great."

"Father, we can do this. I know we can." Bynaul watched his father for a reaction that might indicate he was giving in. He received quite the opposite response.

Geido's mouth twisted in fury. He unknotted his hands to drum his stubbly fingers hard against the desk. His forehead creased with streaks of anger, and his fist came down hard against the metal of the desk. "And who exactly do you plan to use the weapon against, hmm boy? Do you plan to attack the Klingons, teach them a lesson in honour?" He didn't even hear his son's pleas to be quieter and calm down. "Wipe out the Vulcans so you wouldn't have to put up with their words of logic? You are not putting so much as a finger on that key!!" He shouted.

"Father!" Bynaul snapped. "Two generations of men have laboured over that weapon. Will we just sit here and let our father's fathers work rot on the moon? They would _not _approve!" Geido had his back turned to him now, no doubt studying the patterns of dust on the wall. Bynaul hoped he had hit Gedio's traditionalist side. If he had, there was a good chance that he would help in order to honour the work of two generations of Adili. Salindais always honoured people who had passed away, and honoured their goals and achievements.

His father simply stood there, his back turned to his son. So he waited. And waited. For ten minutes, it seemed. Longer. Half an hour passed. An hour. Maybe more.

"I need time to think on it." Geido said slowly and quietly. Like a sulky predator that had lost its prey.

Bynaul hesitated before speaking, trying to choose the right words. Diction was always important in debates, he had learned. "The Humans may have become suspicious of us from my visit to the Linguist. We may not have much time." Before he had spoken his second word, Geido deactivated the comm. link with a punch to a button beneath the monitor.

Scrubbing his face with a black-skinned palm, he checked the time on the monitor. He had been talking to his father for only six minutes.

- - -

Something on the communications console began to flash. "The comm. link has been terminated." Baird announced.

The crew working on the night shift waited for the Counsellor to announce that he had ended the link, as he promised he would. There was nothing.

Baird, Novakovich, Foster, Hutchinson and T'pol waited for him to say something. The bridge was eerily silent.

Something beeped, making a few people whip their heads around in surprise. "The Counsellor is opening a channel." Baird announced. T'pol nodded, the slightest dip of her head.

"Counsellor Bynaul to bridge." He said. He sounded like a depressed teeny-bopper. His voice was crackly. He sounded exhausted, as if he had just run a marathon. "I am finished with the comm. line."

"Acknowledged." T'pol answered, but the comm. link between his quarters and the bridge was already dead.

- - -

Light flooded into the mess hall as someone hurriedly entered. She didn't so much as glance at the movie as images flashed on the white screen. She made her way to the back of the mess hall and stayed there, where she was soon forgotten by those indulged in the movie. She hid the bright cyan glow of the screen of the padd she held by putting it face down on the nearest table. She stood there, paying no mind to the movie, until it finished. A few people who had held bowls of popcorn came to the tables to leave the bowls as the room lit up. Travis, Hoshi, Trip, and Malcolm came to the back.

"Ensign Sato, Lieutenant Reed." She said, picking up the padd. "I need to talk to you."

"Lieutenant Hess, aren't you supposed to be in engineering?" Trip asked.

"My shift doesn't start for another hour and a half, sir." She told him and turned back to Reed and Hoshi. "Go for a walk?"

Reed nodded, and looked uncomfortably at Hoshi. They exited and turned left to head to engineering. Trip and Travis said their goodnights and headed in the opposite direction.

"What is it, Lieutenant?" Reed asked the dark skinned engineer.

"I heard yelling from the Counsellor's quarters. It's not everyday you hear an alien yelling in his quarters, so I thought you would like to know." She said, meaning Reed. "I recorded some of what he said, but I can't translate it." Hoshi perked up.

"Hmm." Reed said thoughtfully as Hoshi took the padd from Hess. Reed would of course like to know why Bynaul would be yelling in his quarters, teenage hormones or no. "I don't mind this, but I don't think the Captain would appreciate us violating his privacy." Hess had always been a little bit too nosey.

Hoshi looked up from the padd. "We can keep this between us, can't we?" Reed gave her an uncertain look. "I could check the comm. logs from my quarters, see if he was talking to anybody and try and get details on his conversation."

"But what if his yelling was just no big deal?" Hess asked.

A yelling alien was a pretty big deal to Malcolm. "Then we keep it to ourselves. If what he said has any significance, then we – or one of us – should tell the Captain at an appropriate time."

They stopped outside engineering. Hoshi had her head bent over the padd, reading, trying to translate. "Lieutenant, bring this back to my quarters when your shift ends. I'll download the conversation so I don't have to keep your padd."

Hess nodded, but before she could turn the handle of the latch on the door to Engineering, Reed said in strict voice, "Remember. We tell no one."

"Aye." Hess disappeared inside.

Reed and Hoshi were left in the corridor together.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Lieutenant." Hoshi said and headed further down the corridor towards the turbolift.

"Goodnight, Hoshi." He answered in an awkward voice. His quarters were in the other direction. He turned away from her, and went back the way he had come. For a moment he wished Hoshi hadn't traded quarters with Ensign Porter four years ago.

- - -

"Done!" Hoshi said, as the download of the Counsellor's conversation completed. She handed the padd back to Lieutenant Hess. "Have a good sleep." She said, and Hess nodded and left.

Hoshi ran the conversation through the Universal Translator immediately. The results were corrupted. She could only get pieces of what had been said. No doubt the walls had muffled some sounds, or the alien had spoken too quietly for the recording device on Hess's padd to pick up. Finally the end result popped up on the screen. But she couldn't make heads or tails of it.

She sent it through the translator again, and it picked up more.

"Having a weapon like the… Adili of centuries past… enemies… tened by a spe… can destroy a sma… the key will only… more enemies…."

That was good. She ran it through again. And again. It picked up more each time. After a while, she got a near complete conversation. She read it over, and her eyes widened.

She checked the time. Her shift didn't start for another half hour. Hurriedly, she sent the translated conversation to Malcolm's station on the bridge. She grabbed a ponytail from the desk and pushed her hair to the back of her head, tying the ponytail around it. Shooting a quick glance in the mirror, she checked the screen of her computer. Malcolm had downloaded the information. Good.

Snagging a drink of water from the bathroom, she left her quarters and headed for the bridge, nodding quickly to a friend or two along the way.

"You're early." Travis said with a grin as she entered the bridge. T'pol looked up from the Captain's chair but showed no emotion.

Hoshi mirrored his grin, though she shot it back with a hint of unease. "Have a good night, Travis?" She asked, trying not to appear so nervous.

"Yeah, it was fine. I had a dream that I was looking at alien…." He cut himself off before he could continue. Hoshi scrunched up her face in disgust, not wanting to know.

Something on her console flashed, and she checked it out. Malcolm was sending her a message. She looked up at him, sitting at his station on the other side of the bridge, before looking down.

::I got your message. We should tell the captain sometime soon. We don't know what the Salindais are up to. They could be planning an attack anytime.:: Hoshi read from the screen. She sent a message back to him.

::I agree. When does the Captain's shift start?:: She waited for a response.

::He should be here any minute. We should ask to see him privately in his ready room. We don't want to get anybody else on the bridge worked up.::

As if his message had somehow summoned him, Archer appeared on the bridge. T'pol stood and took her place at the science station.

"Anything interesting happen last night?" Archer asked T'pol.

"Counsellor Bynaul has gone back to his ship, but that is all. He said he had matters to attend to with his father."

Hoshi and Malcolm glanced at each other.

"Captain." Malcolm said after clearing his throat. "Hoshi and I need to speak to you. In private."


	6. The Escape

_"Having a weapon like the one the Adili of centuries past have made will only bring us more enemies. People are threatened by a species with a weapon that can destroy a small moon! Retrieving the key will only prove to bring us more enemies. We can defeat them all wi… weapon! Didn't you hear a word I said? It doesn't wor… tha… way! Father, I wish to re… this weapon. Learn about it. Make… of it. Wise use. If I… akes, then I will learn from them. I would… have you… or guidance."_

Archer tossed the padd down on his desk when he finished reading. "Any idea what this key might be?" He said quietly. He seemed disappointed, somehow. Perhaps of the fact that the Salindais were planning things, or that some of his officers had eavesdropped and found out.

Hoshi nodded reluctantly. "Counsellor Bynaul came to my quarters to look at the translator I bought. He seemed awkward around it. He had a tool that he used to probe it."

Archer nodded but said nothing. The room was filled with an ear-splitting silence. Hoshi and Malcolm shot each other a nervous glance. "Where'd you get this conversation? Weren't you both at movie night?" He asked finally.

"Lieutenant Hess was passing by Counsellor Bynaul's quarters and she heard yelling." Malcolm explained, trying to sound confident.

Archer nodded. He knew she was nosey. "I'll have to have a talk with her."

Hoshi's eyes widened. He didn't sound too pleased with her. "It's not her fault, sir. I agreed to translate the conversation."

He looked at her, his face unreadable. Then he smiled at her. "What was the Counsellor doing with the probe?"

She let out an inaudible sigh of relief. "He moved it over the script along the sides, which made it glow."

Archer leaned forward and clasped his hands on his desk. "Take the translator to engineering and have Trip take a look at it." He turned to Malcolm. "Monitor the Adili ship. Let me know if anything suspicious happens. Dismissed."

Hoshi and Malcolm gave identical "Ayes" as they left.

Before Hoshi left the bridge to take the translator to Engineering, Malcolm whispered to her. "Hoshi, Adili means 'spider'. Watch out for a web."

- - -

Hoshi ran a finger over the fine script of the translator as she turned a corner in the corridor. She wished she had had more time to study the Salindais language. Maybe then she'd know what it said. She was sure she would find out soon enough, though. Turning another corner, she spotted the door to engineering. She pushed it open, but before she could so much as peer inside, she was gone.

Inside engineering, Trip turned as the door opened an inch and no one entered. "Rostov!" He shouted above the hum of the engine and the buzz of engineers. "I thought I told you to fix that door!"

On the bridge, something beeped on Malcolm's console. "There's been an unauthorized transport." He checked the number of life signs aboard. "One person is missing."

"Who?" Archer asked. He had followed the Lieutenant onto the bridge a few minutes after he left his ready room. There was a hint of alarm in his voice.

"Ensign Sato is no longer aboard." T'pol reported.

"Scan the Adili ship." He ordered. He stood up out of his chair and approached T'pol's station.

"Sir, a shuttle is launching from the Adili ship." Travis reported. "It's cloaking!"

"Malcolm, can you get a lock on it?" Archer was becoming worried.

Malcolm worked his console, but came up with nothing. He shook his head.

"Hail the Adili vessel."

After a moment, Colonel Geido's face appeared on the view screen.

"Where is my officer?" He asked. It was more of an order than a question.

"Captain, I ask that you please do no become involved until I've figured out what's going on." He said.

"We're already involved." He said. He was beginning to become suspicious. "Do you mean to tell me you don't know what's going on?"

"No, Captain. I did not authorize that shuttle launch."

Archer paced slowly in front of his chair as he listened. After a moment he stopped and looked Geido in the eye. If looks could kill, the black-skinned Colonel would be a puddle of pulp. "I know there's a weapon involved in all this. And I know it can destroy a small moon. Now tell me what's going on!"

Geido took a deep breath before speaking. "Captain, I do not wish to harm our friendship. Allow me to come aboard and I will explain everything I know."

- - -

First there was the door to engineering. A second later it melted away, and she rematerialized on a shuttle from the Adili ship. Salinda was a large, bright sphere that provided most of the light in the shuttle. A man was working the controls, his back to her, a mass of dark red hair on his head. It took Hoshi a moment for her brain to register what she was seeing.

"Counsellor Bynaul?" He swivelled in his seat to look at her when she spoke.

"Ensign." He swivelled back to the controls and ignored her.

"What's going on?" She asked him. "Why am I here?" No answer from him. Not even a twitch of acknowledgment. Thrusting the translator into a random pocket on her uniform, she took a step forward and nearly cried out in shock. She took a step back, pressing the palm of a hand to her forehead. She felt as if she walked right into a brick wall. Damn force field.

"Where are you taking me?" As if in acknowledgment of her question, the bright green and blue planet seemed to move away, to be replaced with the Salinda moon.

It was half the size of the planet, barren and grey, probably a good choice for their military bases. The image of the moon grew quickly, soon to take up all the space out the windows. Buildings came into focus.

"Counsellor," she asked, hoping in vain for an answer. "What do you want with me?"

"I lied." Bynaul said, not turning from the control panels. "I never wanted to be a linguist when I was boy. My own language was good enough for me. I'd rather keep the traditions of generations past. Which is why I need you to help me."

That answer was nothing but riddles. "You don't need me! You can just take my translator and do whatever you have to without an audience! You should know that with me here my friends will hunt you down until they find me."

Bynaul turned and smiled at her, as if nothing was wrong. He motioned with his hands at his clothing. "The Adili uniform has no pockets. If the people on the moon saw me with that 'translator', they would know what I'm up to."

Hoshi wanted to scream. With a frustrated sigh, she sat down on the nearest horizontal surface. In this case, it was the floor. There was room enough in the shuttle to do a cartwheel or two, yet there was only one chair in sight, the one the Counsellor sat upon. Hoshi watched as Bynaul piloted the shuttle through a rapidly opening door to a hangar of sorts.

"Very good." Bynaul said. He got up from his seat after deactivating the force field. "We are now inside the military base on the moon. There is no way for you to escape. I am your guide, and you are an alien visitor. You are a close friend of mine. Now let's go." He gave her a push on the shoulder and she stumbled out of the shuttle after pushing the door away.

There were a few air crafts and large shuttles undergoing maintenance in the shuttle bay. A few of the Salindais waved at the Counsellor as he followed her out. One person was directing a massive hose at one of the aircraft, washing streaks of dirt and dust from it. The rush of water faltered and spluttered every now and again. They were probably having problems with the water system. Hoshi couldn't imagine water naturally existing on the moon. It all must have been transported from the planet.

"We go this way, Ensign." He whispered in her ear, grabbing her hand and nearly dragging her towards one of the exits.

Once they had left the high-roofed, echo-filled building and had started down a metal-walled hall, Hoshi asked her captor, "What do you intend to do with me? Are you going to kill me?"

"Just because I have kidnapped you does not mean I am stupid." He growled, contradicting himself. "I do not wish to make enemies of you Humans."

That much was good. At least there was a chance she'd get out of here sooner or later. At each turn in the corridors, she glanced up at the security cameras, hoping to get someone's attention. No one came. Though they did meet a few people in the corridors. They stopped to ask who she was, why she was there. Bynaul explained that she was his girlfriend, that they were considering marriage, and that she was considering joining the Adili. Hoshi played along. There was no telling what might happen if she revealed that she was captive, and Bynaul was trying to recover a weapon. They Adili might have a good laugh over that. Or blood could be spilled.

He led her into a turbolift whose walls were made of glass. After Bynaul pressed some buttons, the lift zoomed downward. Underground tunnels, Hoshi guessed. If she and the Counsellor spent their time in underground tunnels, the Enterprise sensors may not be able to detect them. Mentally letting out a sigh, she began planning an escape in her head.


	7. The Web

Malcolm, Archer, T'pol and Trip were gathered around the console in the situation room on the bridge. They looked at Colonel Geido as he explained his thoughts on his son's behaviour.

"My son believed that the weapon should be used against all enemies of the Salindais, that way they wouldn't cause us any trouble. I tried to talk him out of it, but he's a strong believer in the tradition that the work and accomplishments of passed people should be honoured and remembered. I believe he is taking your Ensign and the translator into the underground tunnels on the moon where the weapon is stored. It is incomplete, though. It has never been tested or perfected." He explained.

"What's so special about the translator?" Tucker asked. "From what I saw of it, it looked pretty normal." He folded his arms across his chest.

"There is a third compartment in the translator that does not open automatically. You need to move a probe tool over the script along the sides, so it glows for a minute." Archer nodded, remembering Hoshi said Bynaul had done that. Obviously not long enough to open it, though. "Inside it is a key. It contains the codes to unlock doors on the way to the weapon. It also has a probe on one end to open a different type of door, and the other end is jagged-edged to go through locks with a key hole in them."

"Why was the 'translator' sold in a store for aliens?" T'pol asked emotionlessly. Her growing hair was pulled back in a tiny bun behind her head.

"At the time the weapon was being built, there were many different opinions about whether or not to actually use the weapon against anyone. It was a very controversial topic. People debated and argued. The crime rate even went up. So production on the weapon stopped, and it was agreed to hide the key. At first it was kept secret on Salindais, but the person who kept it safe was murdered a month or so ago. So the Adili decided to get it out of Salindais hands. So we put it in the translator and gave it to the owner of the alien souvenir store, where your Ensign bought it." Geido sighed when he finished his explanation. So far, the plan had worked brilliantly.

There was a pause as each person registered what he had said.

"Did you pick up the underground tunnels on sensors?" Archer asked, turning to Malcolm.

"Yes, sir. That's the interesting thing." Malcolm replied, pressing a few buttons on the console. An image of the tunnels beneath the moon base popped up on the screen, the tunnels highlighted in a glowing blue. The tunnels, not surprisingly, were organized into a spider-related shape. "The spider's web."

"Have you contacted the base to let your people know what's going on?" T'pol asked.

"No. As I said, what I believe to be happening is just a theory. I do not believe my son is stupid enough to make a mistake so big such as retrieving the weapon." Geido muttered, half to himself.

"Well now would be a good time, theory or not. Wait." He said as Geido started to move off to contact his people. "I'm going to send an away team down to get Hoshi back. I want you to join them."

Gedio's pale eyes widened. "Captain, there's no way – !" He paused to reword what he was going to say. "You can't really believe you'll get permission to go into the underground tunnels of an alien military base where a powerful weapon is stored, do you?"

"No." Archer said with a smile. "But that's why you're going. Dismissed."

The group went back onto the bridge, where Archer asked Baird to hail the military base on a secure channel.

After a moment the image of a Salindais man appeared on the screen. He had bright, pale blue eyes and a tattoo on his neck of the same colour.

"Captain, what is your business in the system?" The man asked. His face was like a rock, and his voice was overflowing with authority, even though it was crackly and rough

"It's alright." Geido said, stepping forward so he could be seen on he view screen. "Admiral, I believe my son has entered the military base and intends to take the weapon."

A faint flicker of shock seemed to ripple over the Admiral's face. He fiddled with something on the console in front of him. "He has indeed entered the base, though his vessel was cloaked when he entered. Captain, I ask you to turn your translator off so the Colonel and I may talk privately."

Archer nodded at Baird, and with a few taps to the console, the Universal Translator deactivated.

"Eesh aziloo ackth mithe saneidialy ti partjii?" The Admiral asked. Archer couldn't make heads or tails of what he had said. He couldn't even tell where one word ended and another began. The colonel answered in an equally flowing and smooth voice. The conversation seemed to go on and on without end, the two black-skinned aliens exchanging Salindais words. Finally, the conversation ended with a nod of the Admiral's head and the push of a button.

Archer had sat down in his chair as soon as he realized their conversation was going to be long. When the view screen cleared, Archer turned and raised an eyebrow at the Colonel, after motioning to Baird to turn the UT back on.

"He has given permission for the away team to enter the base. Though he says the team must not split up and that I am to guide your men through the tunnels."

Archer nodded. "Malcolm, get a team ready."

- - -

As they turned another corridor, Hoshi noticed a rusty pipe was leaking water. This wasn't the first she had seen since they had entered the tunnels. "Don't maintenance crews ever come down here?" Hoshi asked, not expecting or wanting an answer.

"They can't. They don't have the key to the tunnels." Bynaul answered, as if it were obvious.

Of course. How could she forget that the key lay within her translator? Well, not anymore, anyway. Bynaul had taken it out long ago, to Hoshi's slight surprise.

"The pipes look ready to blow. Locking all the doors wasn't a good idea." Hoshi muttered.

Bynaul gave her a smile. "Then we will learn from our mistake." He said, before stopping in front of a final door.

He punched the code into the panel. It beeped, but the door didn't open. He tried it again, but again the door didn't open. He tried again, and again. Nothing. For Hoshi, this was another scrap of hope. He tried the code again, and again without success. He banged a fist on the panel and growled to himself.

He turned to Hoshi. "Can you hack?"

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"I want you to hack open the door." He answered roughly.

Hoshi snorted. "It'll take at least a day until I can get it open. It's not exactly the same as hacking a Xindi database." She muttered at the memory.

"So you've met the Xindi." He said, seeming to not notice what he said.

Pulling a phaser out of it's holster, he backed up away from the door, pushing Hoshi out of the way as well. He set it to the highest setting of kill, and fired at the door, then at the panel. Sparks flew, but the door didn't budge. Klaxons didn't go off, either. The alarm system must have been broken as well. Or it could have been shut off. He fired the weapon at the edge of the door, tracing it around slowly. When he finished, the door creaked and fell into a very large, circular room. There was a splash, and water sprayed up when the door reached the floor.

"Is there supposed to be water in there?" Hoshi asked, and Bynaul shook his head.

"Stupid water system." He cursed under his breath, before ordering the computer to turn the lights on. "It must have been leaking in here for a long time." He stepped into the room, splashing as he went. Consoles and work stations were spread around the edge of the room in a wide circle. In the middle, a white sheet of canvas covered an irregularly shaped, large and bulky object. The weapon.

Tossing the key and translator on the flooded floor, Bynaul went over to it and started to unfasten the canvas where it was hooked to the metal floor. The water had toughened the strings, making them difficult to untie.. "Get the other side." He ordered, and Hoshi bent over to slowly unfasten the string from the rusty rings on the floor. When there was only one string left to untie, Bynaul left it to Hoshi so he could activate the weapon.

"You don't need me anymore." Hoshi said as she finished and stood. She shivered as water leaked into her shoes. "I don't have to stay down here with you anymore, I'm just going to bring my people down here. They won't stop looking for me." Hoshi made her voice firm.

"Take the canvas off of it." Bynaul ignored what she had said.

Hoshi stood there, stubborn.. "No."

As if she weren't even there, Bynaul came back to the middle, splashing as we went, and took the canvas off himself, throwing it down into the water. As calmly as ever, he resumed his work, playing with one of the many consoles.

Hoshi stared at the cylinder-shaped weapon for a moment. Putting a hesitant hand on it, she almost cried out as she jerked her hand back. It seemed colder than ice.

Bynaul was ignoring her again, his fingers working the console as if this was everyday work. Hoshi took a few steps toward the door, now floating on the water, in hopes he wouldn't notice her leave. She was two steps away from the door when Bynaul spoke up, not even lifting his head to look at her.

"I'm sending the activation code to the console nearest you."

Hoshi froze. She could still make it out. She looked at the Counsellor. He was still bent over the console. Looking back at the door – and freedom – she jumped over the bottom of the door frame and raced down the corridor.

There were no shouts following her down the hallways. Looking back, she could see no sign of the Counsellor. The sound of her footsteps on the cold metal floor echoed in her ears. The man was too involved in the weapon to even care she was gone.

Hoshi couldn't remember the way back to the turbolift, the way back to the surface. She couldn't call anybody for aid, as she had neither translator nor communicator with her. She had to push open doors, go inside, look around, to try and find her way again.

Pushing open a door, she stepped inside, not noticing the faint sound of dripping water. The room was dark, illuminated only by the light that spilled in from the corridors. It was a storage room, the shelves lined with boxes of food and tools. Food. She hadn't realised how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten since breakfast, and even then she hadn't had much.

Stepping around a large square in the floor that led to a lower level, she opened a random box and took out a transparent package of food. Salad. There was something stamped on it, Salindais writing and numbers. A best before date. If she was reading it right, it had long gone stale. She grunted in annoyance. She was exhausted. She was dehydrated, hungry, tired, desperate. Cold, stale air tickled the back of her neck.

Shoving the salad back into the cardboard box, she stumbled out of the storage room. Or tried to. Stumbling her way out of the room, her legs fumbled on the edge of the hole to the lower level. Swaying, she hurtled downward and through the whole. There were stairs leading down, cold, hard and metallic, and Hoshi bumped against them as she rolled down. The drip of water grew louder and faster, from a slow drip to a quick trickle, to a small rush. She saw something in the room, the outline of five massive tanks, old and rusting, obviously under pressure. The cuff of her pants near her ankle got caught on something: the bare metal framework of the stairs. She grunted as something sharp dug into her leg. She tried to pull free, just as something exploded and everything winked out of existence.


	8. The Rescue

Geido led the team down another dimly lit white-walled corridor. To Malcolm, it was no different from the rest: a door every once in a while, a damp, rusting pipe that stuck out of a hole where a ceiling tile should be, leaning high over a pool of water on the floor. Lights flickered, and the constant sound of dripping water reminded him of Chinese water torture. Aside from that, the only sound in the corridors was the clank of eight boots on the metal floor.

Malcolm put his weapon back in the holster on his hip. Something he usually wouldn't be caught dead doing, but he really didn't think they'd come across as much as a puddle of goo any time soon. Except for unlocked doors hanging slightly ajar, there had been no sign that Hoshi and the Colonel were down here at all. He glanced at the MACO, her name was Money, and at the pulse rifle she kept raised as if expecting an attack at any moment. Geido's rifle dwarfed it, though. He kept it slung across his shoulder by the strap. Malcolm pulled out his scanner in place of his gun. Geido was leading them to where a red spot marked a life sign. He put the scanner away.

Something caught Malcolm's attention, something different. A new sound, but it seemed wet and sloppy, like all the other sounds ringing in his ears. As the noise grew louder, he was able to make more of it. Rushing water, like water plummeting down a one-foot fall. There was lots of it.

"What is that?" He asked. Travis glanced at him. He had noticed it, too. He searched the corridor quickly, scanning the area, trying to figure out what was going on. Money seemed not to notice much, her only sign of acknowledgment a slight scan of the corridor, braid swinging as her head moved.

"It's water." Geido said, pointing out the obvious. "These pipes haven't had maintenance in years. Water's leaking all over the place, and I wouldn't be surprised if there's a lot of it gathered up in a lake somewhere."

"That bang we heard a while ago." Travis said. "Could it have been a pipe exploding?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if it had been one of the water tanks." Geido said. "The weapon is in this room." He said, motioning with his rifle to a doorless room, flooded a foot high with water. A loud hum could be heard emanating from within, and the faint beep of a console.

The four went in. The weapon sat vibrating slightly in the center of the large room, surrounded by a ring of consoles. Beyond, on the far side of the room, was a…. Malcolm couldn't describe it beyond 'a huge white block used as some sort of test target for the weapon.' A soaked bundle floated in the water just outside the ring of consoles, near the block. Geido ignored it for a moment as he fiddled with the beeping console.

"The weapon is overloading. I'm shutting it down." He pressed a few buttons, and the hum of the weapon died down. The Colonel's attention moved to the soaked bundle on the floor. He knelt down in the water, picked it up, and let it lean against his shoulder.

"My son, what has happened here?" The Counsellor's shock of red hair was soaked, now a dull wood brown. His yellow eyes glittered with moisture.

"The weapon…." He stuttered between shivers. Malcolm wanted to shiver himself as cold water filled his boots. The MACO shifted uncomfortably when her own feet became drenched. "It was… too old to… be activated… again." He gasped, as if his lungs had no air in them. Perhaps one of them had been punctured somehow. "It's… rusting… on the bottom… because of the water. When I…"

Geido shook his head, silencing him. "Do not speak. You are hurt, and tired. Where is the Human woman?" He asked.

Malcolm had not stopped scanning the room since they had entered. There was no sign of Hoshi anywhere.

When Bynaul didn't answer, Malcolm asked again, "Where is Hoshi?"

"She is not here." He said, never pulling his eyes away from his father's.

"Where did she go?" Travis asked, his anger rising.

"I do not know. I was too… absorbed… in the weapon. I didn't… care… she had… left the room." Bynaul's voice was quiet and odd, as if his voice and been scraped against sandpaper and rocks.

Angrily, Malcolm took the scanner out of his pocket and scanned for her life sign. There! It was faint though, a pale red dot barely showing where she was. He showed it to Travis, and a look of urgency filled his face. He looked back at the black-skinned Colonel, not wanting to wait to be led away.

"My son, I have learned from my mistake." Geido began, but Bynaul silenced him with a tighter grip on his shirt collar.

"The mistake… was mine…. I was greedy… for power…. I was… blinded… by it."

Yes, yes, this was all very touching. Malcolm shifted his feet, ready to go find Hoshi. So he did just that, Travis and the MACO following. He didn't really care what the Salindais Admiral had said. He wasn't going to sit around waiting to find Hoshi. According to his scan, her life sign was staying put. Why wasn't she running, trying to find a way out?

Worriedly, the three galloped down the corridors, the MACO outrunning the men.

"In a bit of hurry?" Malcolm said curiously.

"I was always the fastest runner during training." Money said with a smile. The bulky rifle now slung across her shoulder didn't slow her down at all.

Finally, he came across the room that Hoshi was supposed to be. The room was dark, apparently a storage room, and the sound of the rushing water seemed to be coming from here. There was a one meter square hole in the floor that led to a sort of basement, even darker than the storage room.

"Money, do you have a flashlight with you?" He asked. Fumbling with one of the gadgets attached to her uniform, she handed him a small flashlight. Flicking it on, he shone it down the hole, illuminating metal stares, massive tanks that had giant, gaping holes in them, and… Hoshi. She seemed unconscious, her body hanging limp against the stairs, her uniform caught on something. And she was underwater. Though judging by how fast the water was rising, she hadn't been under for long. Water soon bubbled up out of the hole, and the storage room began to flood.

"Hoshi!" Travis called. He was scared for her life.

Tossing the flashlight at the MACO, Malcolm splashed down the stairs, all fear of water aside. This was no time to be a wimp. After his head was below the ceiling of the flooded room, he dived down deeper, head first, to get to her faster. When he reached her, he untangled her uniform from the metal framework of the stairs, and brought her up, to air. The MACO and Travis took her out of his arms, laying her down on her back in the dry hallway. Malcolm followed, dripping from head to foot.

Pushing his way through to Hoshi, he checked her pulse, her breathing. There was no sign of life. CPR. It had to be done. He tilted her head back, opened her mouth…. It was all simple from there. Memories flooded back, of sailing on the ocean with his father, and what his father had taught him about basic boating safety, CPR included.

Something gurgled in Hoshi's throat, and she coughed up water, as her eyes flickered. She turned over onto her side, coughing up water till the floor was soaked.

Everybody had smiles on their faces. Money was happy. She had been part of the team that rescued Hoshi from the Xindi ship. She had been shot while on the ship, so she didn't want to see Hoshi die now. Travis was an image of glee, a big grin on his face and relief in his eyes. Malcolm had no expression on his face as he stroked Hoshi's cheek when she finished coughing.

"Malcolm?" She said, her voice weak and small.

"Yes Hoshi." He answered quietly.

"Are we going back to Enterprise?"

He smiled. "Yes, we're going home."


	9. Afterwards

Enterprise rolled lazily in orbit around Earth. Business with the Salindais was complete, and Admiral Forrest had requested that Enterprise come back to Earth so he could get Archer's report face-to-face.

Adili had eventually come down into the tunnels after that giant hose in the shuttle bay had stopped running. They brought a couple dozen men to see what was going on, with both the rescue party and the water system. They had escorted the Humans back to the shuttle bay, where they boarded the shuttle pod and went back to Enterprise. Hoshi had to spend a few days in sickbay, but she was OK and was her usual, fun self.

Geido and his son, on the other hand, were a different story. It turned out that the weapon had acted up and bolts of energy, like lightning, shot out in all directions. One of Bynaul's lungs did indeed get punctured, and he died, as Geido told Archer when he arrived back on his spider-shaped ship. Geido had been relieved of his duty for a couple of weeks, so that he could mourn with his wife the death of Bynaul.

Malcolm spent a good deal of his spare time with Travis, talking and discussing every day things. Malcolm was planning something, a surprise, and he wanted Travis's advice.

Koss had decided to join T'pol on board, and was accepted by both Archer and Forrest. He joined Trip in engineering, and became one of his best men. Trip wasn't too fond of the idea of Koss coming on board, at first. For one, he wasn't Starfleet, which was just an excuse to not let him on board, and two, he was Koss, the guy who had stolen the love of his life. Upon arriving on Earth, Trip got permission to spend time with his sister, Elizabeth. He had asked for advice on what to do about Koss, and Liz, in her usual sassy manner, told him to just suck it up and live with it. Which he did.

Enterprise seemed to have become a love nest when the ship departed from the Salinda system. Cutler showed an even stronger attachment to the jolly Denobulan, Money started dating Major Hayes, and Malcolm kept his eye on Hoshi. She and Travis hadn't broken up, exactly; then again they hadn't really gotten together in the first place. Just close friends, Travis insisted.

"Have you been talking with the Commander?" Malcolm asked Travis suspiciously one day while he was talking to Travis in his quarters.

"No, why do you ask?"

"He seems determined to get Hoshi and I together, just like you do."

"Well, Trip has nothing to do with it." Travis assured him. He was lying, though. Trip and Travis were conspiring together to get Malcolm and Hoshi together.

Another day, Malcolm asked Travis what Hoshi might appreciate as a sign of affection. Not exactly something that screams "I love you!" but something that merely hinted at a stronger relationship.

"She told me once, while we were in the Expanse, that her mother wanted her to take piano lessons." Travis told him.

"Hmm." Malcolm said thoughtfully. "Has she shown any interest in actually taking lessons?"

"Not since, but she told me as if she really regretted not having taken lessons before. I think she would be good at it, if she tried."

Malcolm paused a moment, his eyes blank with thought. "Jolly good." He said finally, his voice distant. "My sister can play piano. Thank you, Travis! I'll see you later." And he skipped out of Travis's quarters on his merry way.


	10. The Piano

There. The last leg was secure to the floor. Standing up, Malcolm inspected his work. Each leg had been screwed to the floor, using a piece of metal that was wrapped around the leg near the wheel and attached to the floor. The thing could be dangerous if it wasn't properly secured. Leaning his tool case against the wall, he stepped out into the corridor, where Hoshi was leaning against the wall twiddling her thumbs and staring off into space.

"Hoshi." Malcolm said, a mischievous grin on his face.

She turned to him, a smile on her face. Her hair dangled in a thick braid instead of the usual ponytail.

"Close your eyes!" Malcolm said again as she attempted to get past him into her quarters.

She closed her eyes, and let herself be led in by the Lieutenant.

When he had positioned her in the quarters to his satisfaction, he said, "Alright. Open your eyes!"

Hoshi opened her eyes and gasped. There, sitting near the wall, was a large, upright piano. It was considerably smaller than the average piano, say, 100 years ago. A row of ebony and ivory keys rolled along at the front, glittering with newness. A bench sat about a foot away from the piano. Hoshi gasped, and looked up at Malcolm, who was standing behind her.

"You didn't!"

"I did."

Hoshi looked back at the piano, and back at Malcolm. "How did you know?"

"I have my sources." Malcolm said with a grin.

Hoshi went to the piano, and sat down on the shiny, wooden bench. "Can you play anything?" She asked.

Malcolm thought for a moment. "I do know one song, a duet. Called 'Heart and Soul'. I haven't played it in a while, though. Not since before I went through the Academy. My sister taught it to me, and we played it together."

"I used to play Heart and Soul with my mother and grandfather." Hoshi said. She patted the space on the bench beside her, motioning for Malcolm to sit down beside her. She pressed a few keys to get the feel for the piano.

Malcolm hesitantly sat down beside her. He gaze swept over the rows of keys and moved up to Hoshi, her dark eyes down on the ivory, a smile on her face. So she was happy.

"Do you want to play it? Together?"

Hoshi looked at him in surprise. She knew he was nervous around women, knew he wouldn't fraternize if his life depended on it. Finally, she smiled. "I'd like that."

Flexing her fingers, she waited for Malcolm's hands to get into position, and then they played, the heart and soul of each of them flowing through the music.

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**Sorry for taking so long with the last chapter! It was sitting on my computer and I forgot about when school started. But here it is! There are a few things I want to say.**

**First, I was going to post the link to an image that inspired me to write this story, but the URL doesn't seem to be showing up.**

**Next, I want to thank Reedie for always commenting. Your reviews encouraged me, and without you, I would have stopped at chapter 5. Thank you!!**


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